The present invention relates generally to corrosion-resistant uranium, and more particularly, to a method of providing metallic uranium and alloys thereof with a corrosion-resistant coating of aluminum chromate or zinc chromate.
Metallic uranium and many uranium alloys are highly reactive and undergo deleterious corrosion upon contact with gaseous and liquid mediums including air and water. Investigations have been conducted in an effort to minimize this corrosion problem. Efforts for alleviating uranium corrosion include such protective measures as alloying, coating uranium with plastic, covering exposed surfaces with layers of nickel or aluminum applied by vapor deposition electroplating and the like. These techniques for protecting uranium from corrosion have met with some success but the practice of these techniques is often very difficult and cumbersome with the resulting corrosion barrier often failing to be sufficiently reproducible for accomplishing its intended purpose. For example, the tendency of uranium surfaces to become passive after pre-plating treatment often renders uranium a highly difficult metal to successfully plate. Further, impervious protective platings are not easily achieved, particularly when the coating or plating is relatively thin in the order of about one-thousandth of an inch or less.